CARLSBAD – Gov. Susana Martinez recently announced she signed House Bill 172, legislation that prohibits corporal punishment in New Mexico’s schools.
“The decision on whether or not to use corporal punishment on a child is one that is best left to a parent,” Martinez said.
Corporal punishment was already banned in 53 of New Mexico’s 89 school districts. According to the most recent data by the U.S. Department of Education, there were 705 incidents of corporal punishment in New Mexico during the 2006 school year, which represents 0.2 percent of the state’s students.
New Mexico now joins 30 other states that do not permit corporal punishment in schools.
Governor Martinez also signed House Bill 652, creating a certification progress for gas pilot relighting technicians in the event that New Mexico experiences another crisis such as the one brought about by extreme cold temperatures and winter storms in February.
“During the recent gas crisis, it was eye-opening to learn just how few people were certified to re-light pilots in New Mexico, and I believe this bill will provide for a simple certification program that will ensure firefighters, police officers, National Guard troops, and many others have the skills necessary to help our neighbors in the event that such a horrible crisis occurs again,” Martinez said.